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Privy Council

Privy Council is a common name for the Queen's Privy Council of Canada, established under the CONSTITUTION ACT, 1867, to advise the Crown.

Privy Council

Privy Council is a common name for the Queen's Privy Council of Canada, established under the Constitution Act, 1867, to advise the Crown. Privy councillors are appointed for life by the governor general on the prime minister's recommendation, and include the chief justice of the Supreme Court, provincial premiers, former and present federal cabinet ministers, and speakers of the House of Commons and Senate. In recent years, this membership has been enlarged by the occasional appointment of a public figure or a senior public servant. However, only those Privy Councillors in the Cabinet can act formally as the Privy Council through Orders-in-Council issued in the name of the governor-in-council.